Joseph E. Geoghan ’64 to Receive Alumni Medal of Achievement

December 10, 2009

Fordham Law alumnus Joseph Geoghan has been selected as the 2010 recipient of the School's Alumni Medal of Achievement. Geoghan will be presented with the medal at the Annual Luncheon on March 6 at the Waldorf=Astoria in New York, where recently elected Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance, Jr., will be the featured speaker.

The Medal of Achievement is the highest honor bestowed by the Fordham Law Alumni Association (FLAA). Geoghan was selected for his dedication to the Law School, his numerous professional achievements, and his commitment to community building and educational causes.

"I am honored to have been chosen for such a prestigious award," said Geoghan. "Fordham Law has played an important role in my life, and I am very grateful for having received a first-rate legal education that has been a terrific support throughout my career."

Geoghan spent his entire professional career at Union Carbide. He served in various positions within the Corporation's Law Department, including Chief International Counsel, Assistant General Counsel, and Deputy General Counsel. Geoghan became Vice President and General Counsel in 1987, with additional responsibility for the company's Government Relations Group. He was elected to the Board of Directors in 1990 and retired in December 1998 to devote time to not-for-profit and church-related organizations, primarily in the areas of financial and strategic planning, development, and Catholic school education.

"Joe's many accomplishments in his professional life are matched only by his tremendous support of Fordham Law School," said Dean William Michael Treanor. "I have often turned to him as an advisor, and I have benefited from his wise counsel. We are proud to call him an alumni and friend and are pleased to honor him with our Medal of Achievement."

Geoghan is on the Board of Directors of the FLAA and has been active in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn for over 30 years. He has been a member of the Diocesan Finance Council since its inception in the late 1980s. He also has served as Chair of the Catholic Elementary School Education Commission of the Rockville Centre Diocese since formation of the Commission in January 2005.

Geoghan is currently a Director of Tomorrow's Hope Foundation in the Diocese of Rockville Centre, the Alive in Hope Foundation of the Diocese of Brooklyn, the Community Development Corporation of Long Island, Inc., International Surgical Mission Support, Inc., and Southampton Bottling LLC.